netfrag.org > TWiki > TWikiMetaData (r1.1 vs. r1.9)
TWiki . { Home? | Welcome | Register | Changes | Index | Search | Go }

 <<O>>  Difference Topic TWikiMetaData (r1.9 - 03 Dec 2001 - MikeMannix?)
Line: 1 6 to 1 6
Changed:
<
<

Appendix B: TWiki Meta Data

>
>

TWiki Meta Data

Line: 8 to 8
Changed:
<
<
Additional topic data, not editable from main freeform text box, stored in META variable name/value pairs
>
>
Additional topic data, program-generated or from TWikiForms, is stored in META variable name/value pairs
Line: 12 to 12
Changed:
<
<
TWikiMetaData uses META variables to store topic data that's separate from the main free-form content. This includes program-generated info like FileAttachment data, and user-defined TWikiForms info.
>
>
TWikiMetaData uses META variables to store topic data that's separate from the main free-form content. This includes program-generated info like FileAttachment and topic movement data, and user-defined TWikiForms info. Use META variables to format and display Meta Data.
Line: 154 to 154
Changed:
<
<
-- MikeMannix - 02 Oct 2001
>
>
-- MikeMannix - 03 Dec 2001

 <<O>>  Difference Topic TWikiMetaData (r1.8 - 02 Oct 2001 - MikeMannix?)
Line: 1 6 to 1 6
Changed:
<
<

TWiki Meta Data

>
>

Appendix B: TWiki Meta Data

Line: 153 to 154
Added:
>
>
-- MikeMannix - 02 Oct 2001

 <<O>>  Difference Topic TWikiMetaData (r1.7 - 16 Sep 2001 - MikeMannix?)
Line: 1 8 to 1 8
Changed:
<
<
Topic data not editable from main freeform text box, stored in name/value META variable pairs
>
>
Additional topic data, not editable from main freeform text box, stored in META variable name/value pairs

 <<O>>  Difference Topic TWikiMetaData (r1.6 - 14 Sep 2001 - PeterThoeny?)
Line: 1 3 to 1 2
Deleted:
<
<

Line: 14 to 12
Changed:
<
<
TWikiMetaData uses META variables to store topic data that's separate from the main free-form content. This includes program-generated info like FileAttachment data, and user-defined Form Template info.
>
>
TWikiMetaData uses META variables to store topic data that's separate from the main free-form content. This includes program-generated info like FileAttachment data, and user-defined TWikiForms info.
Line: 18 to 16
Changed:
<
<
  • Format is the same as in TWikiVariables, except all fields have a key.
    • %META:<type>{key1="value1" [key2="value2" [...]]}%
>
>
  • Format is the same as in TWikiVariables, except all fields have a key.
    • %META:<type>{key1="value1" key2="value2" ...}%
Line: 29 to 27
Changed:
<
<

>
>


Line: 32 to 30
Changed:
<
<
%META:TOPICMOVED{from="Codev.OldName" to="CoDev.NewName"
>
>
%META:TOPICMOVED{from="Codev.OldName" to="Codev.NewName"
Line: 40 to 38
Changed:
<
<
>
>
Line: 43 to 41
Changed:
<
<

Specifications

>
>

Meta Data Specifications

Line: 47 to 45
Changed:
<
<

TOPICINFO

>
>

META:TOPICINFO

Line: 55 to 53
Changed:
<
<

TOPICMOVED

>
>

META:TOPICMOVED

Line: 57 to 55
Changed:
<
<
This is optional, exists if topic has ever been moved. If a topic is moved more than once, only the most recent TOPICMOVED meta variable exists in the topic, older ones are to be found in the rcs history.
>
>
This is optional, exists if topic has ever been moved. If a topic is moved more than once, only the most recent META:TOPICMOVED meta variable exists in the topic, older ones are to be found in the rcs history.
Line: 59 to 57
Changed:
<
<
%META:TOPICMOVED{from="Codev.OldName" to="CoDev.NewName" by="talintj" date="976762680"}%
>
>
%META:TOPICMOVED{from="Codev.OldName" to="Codev.NewName" by="talintj" date="976762680"}%
Line: 71 to 69
Changed:
<
<

TOPICPARENT

>
>

META:TOPICPARENT

Line: 76 to 74
Changed:
<
<

FILEATTACHMENT

>
>

META:FILEATTACHMENT

Line: 89 to 88
Added:
>
>
Key Comment
Line: 95 to 94
Changed:
<
<

FORM

>
>

META:FORM

Line: 98 to 97
Changed:
<
<
name A topic name - the topic is a Form Template. Can optionally include the web name i.e. web.topic, but doesn't normally
>
>
name A topic name - the topic represents one of the TWikiForms. Can optionally include the web name i.e. web.topic, but doesn't normally
Line: 100 to 99
Changed:
<
<

FIELD

>
>

META:FIELD

Line: 102 to 101
Changed:
<
<
Should only be present if there is a FORM entry. Note that this data is used when viewing a topic, the form template definition is not read.
>
>
Should only be present if there is a META:FORM entry. Note that this data is used when viewing a topic, the form template definition is not read.
Line: 105 to 104
Changed:
<
<
name Ties to entry in Form Template, is title with all bar alphanumerics and . removed
title Full text from Form Template
>
>
name Ties to entry in TWikiForms template, is title with all bar alphanumerics and . removed
title Full text from TWikiForms template
Line: 118 to 117
Changed:
<
<
  • TOPICINFO
>
>
  • META:TOPICINFO
Line: 120 to 119
Changed:
<
<
  • TOPICMOVED (optional)
  • TOPICPARENT (optional)
  • FILEATTACHMENT (0 or more entries)
  • FORM (optional)
  • FIELD (0 or more entries; FORM required)
>
>
  • META:TOPICMOVED (optional)
  • META:TOPICPARENT (optional)
  • META:FILEATTACHMENT (0 or more entries)
  • META:FORM (optional)
  • META:FIELD (0 or more entries; FORM required)
Line: 138 to 137
Changed:
<
<
%META{"form"}% Show form data, see Form Templates
>
>
%META{"form"}% Show form data, see TWikiForms
Line: 148 to 147
Changed:
<
<
seperator="..." Separator between parents, default is " > "

  • Future Development: There are numerous development directions and specific features to consider. A couple of obvious possibilities:
    • Rendering to formats other than tables: bullet lists, formatted body text;
    • Specifying templates to be used for rendering.
>
>
separator="..." Separator between parents, default is " > "

 <<O>>  Difference Topic TWikiMetaData (r1.5 - 12 Sep 2001 - MikeMannix?)
Line: 1 2 to 1 3
Added:
>
>


 <<O>>  Difference Topic TWikiMetaData (r1.4 - 08 Sep 2001 - MikeMannix?)
Line: 1 109 to 1 109
Changed:
<
<
There no absolute need for meta data variables to be in a specific order, however, it does for the following reasons:
  • Keep (form) fields in the order they are defined
  • Allow diff command to give output in a logically sensible order

These could be done in other ways, but this adds complexity

  • Order fields - definition could be read on each rendering (expensive)
  • Diff - render data before doing diff, has something to offer, but not likely to be available for next TWiki release
>
>
There is no absolute need for Meta Data variables to be listed in a specific order within a topic, but it makes sense to do so a couple of good reasons:

  • form fields remain in the order they are defined
  • the diff function output appears in a logical order

The recommended sequence is:

Line: 117 to 115
Deleted:
<
<
So the order is:
Line: 119 to 117
Changed:
<
<
  • text of topic
  • TOPICMOVED - optional
  • TOPICPARENT - optional
  • FILEATTACHMENT - 0 or more entries
  • FORM - optional
  • FIELD - 0 or more entries (FORM required)
>
>
  • text of topic
  • TOPICMOVED (optional)
  • TOPICPARENT (optional)
  • FILEATTACHMENT (0 or more entries)
  • FORM (optional)
  • FIELD (0 or more entries; FORM required)
Line: 133 to 131
Changed:
<
<
Meta Data is rendered with the %META% variable. This is mostly used in the view, preview and edit scripts.
>
>
Meta Data is rendered with the %META% variable. This is mostly used in the view, preview and edit scripts.
Line: 135 to 133
Changed:
<
<
Current support is fairly basic:
>
>
Current support covers:
Line: 140 to 138
Changed:
<
<
Options for attachments:  
>
>
Options for Attachments:  
Line: 156 to 154
Changed:
<
<
There is currently no support for meta data for Plugins. However, the format is readily extendable and the Meta.pm code that supports the format needs only minor alteration.
>
>
At present, there is no Meta Data support for Plugins. However, the format is readily extendable and the Meta.pm code that supports the format needs only minor alteration.

 <<O>>  Difference Topic TWikiMetaData (r1.3 - 07 Sep 2001 - MikeMannix?)
Line: 1 5 to 1 5
Changed:
<
<

Merged into TWikiMetaData - this topic to be rolled back.

>
>

TWiki Meta Data

Topic data not editable from main freeform text box, stored in name/value META variable pairs

Overview

TWikiMetaData uses META variables to store topic data that's separate from the main free-form content. This includes program-generated info like FileAttachment data, and user-defined Form Template info.

Meta Data Syntax

  • Format is the same as in TWikiVariables, except all fields have a key.
    • %META:<type>{key1="value1" [key2="value2" [...]]}%

  • Order of fields within the meta variables is not defined, except that if there is a field with key name, this appears first for easier searching (note the order of the variables themselves is defined).

  • Each meta variable is on one line.

  • \n (new line) is represented in values by %_N_ and " (double-quotes) by %_Q_%.

Example of Format
%<nop>META:TOPICINFO{version="1.6" date="976762663" author="PeterThoeny" format="1.0"}%
   text of the topic
%<nop>META:TOPICMOVED{from="Codev.OldName" to="CoDev.NewName"
   by="JohnTalintyre" date="976762680"}%
%<nop>META:TOPICPARENT{name="NavigationByTopicContext"}%
%<nop>META:FILEATTACHMENT{name="Sample.txt" version="1.3" ... }%
%<nop>META:FILEATTACHMENT{name="Smile.gif" version="1.1" ... }%
%<nop>META:FORM{name="WebFormTemplate"}%
%<nop>META:FIELD{name="OperatingSystem" value="OsWin"}%
%<nop>META:FIELD{name="TopicClassification" value="PublicFAQ"}%

Specifications

The current version of Meta Data is 1.0, with support for the following variables.

TOPICINFO

Key Comment
version Same as RCS version
date integer, unx time, seconds since start 1970
author last to change topic, is the REMOTE_USER
format Format of this topic, will be used for automatic format conversion

TOPICMOVED

This is optional, exists if topic has ever been moved. If a topic is moved more than once, only the most recent TOPICMOVED meta variable exists in the topic, older ones are to be found in the rcs history.

%META:TOPICMOVED{from="Codev.OldName" to="CoDev.NewName" by="talintj" date="976762680"}%

Key Comment
from Full name i.e. web.topic
to Full name i.e. web.topic
by Who did it, is the REMOTE_USER, not WikiName
date integer, unx time, seconds since start 1970

Notes:

  • at present version number is not supported directly, it can be inferred from the RCS history.
  • there is only one META:TOPICMOVED in a topic, older move information can be found in the RCS history.

TOPICPARENT

Key Comment
name The topic from which this was created, WebHome if done from Go, othewise topic where ? or form used. Normally just topic, but is full web.topic format if parent is in a different Web. Renaming a Web will then only break a few of these references or they can be scanned and fixed.

FILEATTACHMENT

Key Comment
name Name of file, no path. Must be unique within topic
version Same as RCS revision
path Full path file was loaded from
size In bytes
date integer, unx time, seconds since start 1970
user the REMOTE_USER, not WikiName
comment As supplied when file uploaded
attr h if hidden, optional

Extra fields that are added if an attachment is moved:

movedfrom full topic name - web.topic
movedby the REMOTE_USER, not WikiName
movedto full topic name - web.topic
moveddate integer, unx time, seconds since start 1970

FORM

Key up Comment
name A topic name - the topic is a Form Template. Can optionally include the web name i.e. web.topic, but doesn't normally

FIELD

Should only be present if there is a FORM entry. Note that this data is used when viewing a topic, the form template definition is not read.

Key Name
name Ties to entry in Form Template, is title with all bar alphanumerics and . removed
title Full text from Form Template
value Value user has supplied via form

Recommended Sequence

There no absolute need for meta data variables to be in a specific order, however, it does for the following reasons:

  • Keep (form) fields in the order they are defined
  • Allow diff command to give output in a logically sensible order

These could be done in other ways, but this adds complexity

  • Order fields - definition could be read on each rendering (expensive)
  • Diff - render data before doing diff, has something to offer, but not likely to be available for next TWiki release

So the order is:

  • TOPICINFO
  • text of topic
  • TOPICMOVED - optional
  • TOPICPARENT - optional
  • FILEATTACHMENT - 0 or more entries
  • FORM - optional
  • FIELD - 0 or more entries (FORM required)

Viewing Meta Data in Page Source

When viewing a topic the Raw Text link can be clicked to show the text of a topic (ie: as seen when editing). This is done by adding raw=on to URL. raw=debug shows the meta data as well as the topic data, ex: debug view for this topic

Rendering Meta Data

Meta Data is rendered with the %META% variable. This is mostly used in the view, preview and edit scripts.

Current support is fairly basic:

Variable usage: Comment:
%META{"form"}% Show form data, see Form Templates
%META{"attachments"}% Show attachments, exclude hidden
Options for attachments:  
all="on" Show ALL attachments (including hidden)
%META{"moved"}% Details of any topic moves
%META{"parent [options]"}% Show topic parent
Options for parent:  
dontrecurse="on" By default recurses up tree, at some cost
prefix="..." Prefix for parents, only if there are parents; default ""
suffix="..." Suffix, only appears if there are parents; default ""
seperator="..." Separator between parents, default is " > "

  • Future Development: There are numerous development directions and specific features to consider. A couple of obvious possibilities:
    • Rendering to formats other than tables: bullet lists, formatted body text;
    • Specifying templates to be used for rendering.

Known Issues

There is currently no support for meta data for Plugins. However, the format is readily extendable and the Meta.pm code that supports the format needs only minor alteration.

-- JohnTalintyre - 29 Aug 2001


 <<O>>  Difference Topic TWikiMetaData (r1.2 - 30 Aug 2001 - MikeMannix?)
Line: 1 5 to 1 4
Deleted:
<
<

TWiki Meta Data


 <<O>>  Difference Topic TWikiMetaData (r1.1 - 30 Aug 2001 - MikeMannix?)
Line: 1 to 1
Added:
>
>
META TOPICPARENT WebHome

TWiki Meta Data

Merged into TWikiMetaData - this topic to be rolled back.


Topic TWikiMetaData . { View | Diffs | r1.9 | > | r1.8 | > | r1.7 | More }    output as: { }
Revision r1.1 - 30 Aug 2001 - 16:20 - MikeMannix?
Revision r1.9 - 03 Dec 2001 - 12:53 - MikeMannix?